The killing of a Hmar schoolteacher in Manipur's Jiribam district has sparked a chain of violence that culminated in a deadly clash between security forces and armed men on November 11, leaving two elderly men dead and six civilians, including three children, missing.
The bodies of Laishram Barel Singh, 61, and Maibam Keshwo Singh, 75, were discovered among the debris of burnt structures in Jakuradhor Karong, marking another tragic turn in the violence that began with the brutal murder of Zosangkim Hmar, a 31-year-old teacher and mother of three, on November 7.
The November 11 Clash
The confrontation began between 2:30 and 3:00 PM on November 11 when an armed group launched an assault on Borobekra police station and a nearby Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp. In the ensuing gunfight, security forces killed 10 men whom they identified as militants, though Kuki civil society groups strongly contest this, maintaining they were “village volunteers” retaliating against the killing of the Hmar teacher.
Inspector General of Police (Operations) IK Muivah reported that the attackers employed sophisticated weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs), AK-series rifles, INSAS, and SLRs. The exchange lasted approximately 45 minutes, resulting in one CRPF personnel being injured and evacuated to Assam for treatment. Police later released evidence of recovered weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, four SLRs, two INSAS rifles, and one rocket-propelled grenade.
The Missing Civilians
Among those missing are three women and three children from the same family - including a grandmother, her two daughters, and three grandchildren aged eight, two, and less than a year old. Local resident Yurembam Sanjoy Singh reported that they were among 118 people staying at a relief camp in Borobekra police station, established for residents displaced by earlier violence in June.
“During the day, people residing in the relief camp head outside. When the firing and arson started, people began running here and there and after it subsided, we found that 10 people from the relief camp were missing,” Singh explained. While some were later found, the six family members remain unaccounted for.
Search Operations and Safety Concerns
N Rajendro Singh, another resident of the relief camps, expressed deep concern about the safety of those remaining in the area. “We looked for the missing people after the firing stopped and we only returned to the relief camp at 1 am. We looked for them with the forces this morning too, but we could not find them. Now we want to move away from this area to go to the main Jiribam town where it is safer because we are completely exposed and unsafe here. But we are stuck here because travelling by road to the town is too unsafe because we have to cross tribal areas, and we may come under attack on the way.”
Community Responses and Protests
The Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO) has issued a directive restricting CRPF personnel movement in Kuki-dominated areas, demanding they “publicly acknowledge and apologise for their barbaric actions in Jiribam.”
A senior KSO official, speaking anonymously, told reporters, “We are not endorsing violence. But we feel helpless. The central forces are supposed to be neutral. The CRPF is under the Home Ministry.” The official suggested there might be deeper forces at play, stating, “There is someone behind all this, while the two communities fight. This is what everybody should know.”
The violence has triggered widespread protests, with five districts in the Imphal Valley observing a total shutdown called by 13 civil society organisations beginning November 12 evening. Schools and colleges remained closed, markets were shut, and vehicles stayed off the roads. The shutdown was scheduled to last 24 hours.
Official Investigation and Security Response
Police investigations have revealed that the men killed in the November 11 confrontation had travelled from Churachandpur and Pherzawl districts to Jiribam district. IGP Muivah explained the security forces’ position: “Our armed forces always try to caution them to restrict their firing. But when they are fired upon with sophisticated weapons, with rocket launchers, then retaliation is part of our mandate.”
The Jiri Apunba Lup, representing the Meitei community in Jiribam, has issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the rescue of the missing persons, threatening “various forms of strong agitation” if their demands are not met.
